


Save the Fish

by SML8180



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Deviant Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Fluff, Hank cares, How Do I Tag, Kinda, Plothole Fill, i think
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 23:46:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,977
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18020783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SML8180/pseuds/SML8180
Summary: Connor has a burning question after the revolution, and doesn't want to waste any time finding an answer. He learns through his creator that his deviancy can be traced back to one decision he made months ago.





	Save the Fish

Connor had stood by Markus’ side as he spoke to hundreds, if not thousands of androids, many of which he himself had lead from CyberLife tower. He’d found the emergency exit Kamski left in his programming when Amanda had tried to take back full control of him. And after, he’d stepped away from the view of his people, having to sit in the snow, resting his head back against the barrier behind him. Connor knew he’d been created to hunt down and capture deviants, and yet, when faced with what he had been made to do, he had deviated, himself. It made no sense to him. Why had he succumbed to the same thing he was intended to stop?

When Markus had urged Connor to join him and the rest of Jericho, he’d frozen for a moment. Despite his self-checks, he hadn’t noticed the instabilities growing in his software. The only time he had noticed it was on the roof of Stratford Tower. It had seemed so far down when he was at that railing, gripping it tightly as he remembered his first case dealing with a deviant. He’d saved Emma Phillips, but had knocked the deviant, Daniel, off the roof, and went down with him. Looking over the railing at Stratford reminded him of that long fall to the ground, the weightless feeling that ended in his body shattering on the ground below beside Daniel’s. Aside from the incident at Stratford, though, Connor found he hadn’t paid the potential for deviancy in his own programming. He’d been made with the intent to capture deviants, not become one, himself.

As he sat there in thought, only one name came to mind who could have the answers he wanted; Elijah Kamski. The man had “tested” him when they met, putting a loaded gun in his hand and asking him to shoot an ST200 kneeling in front of him. Despite his desire to get the location of Jericho as soon as possible, Connor had found himself unable to pull the trigger. Kamski pinned him as a deviant, though the android himself had denied the obvious. He had been given an order, and he hadn’t followed through. He simply couldn’t shoot that girl. But, as eccentric as Kamski was, the man knew everything there was to know about androids, and likely knew more about deviancy than he was letting on. After running through the possibilities, the RK800 decided that visiting Kamski first thing in the morning would be the best idea to get some answers.

Connor spent the night with Markus and the others, passing the time following the excitement of their current triumph. They all knew their people had a long way to go, and though this had been a major step, it would take much more time for things to settle and for all androids to be accepted as equals among society. The group talked about plans for the future, expressing desires to teach, to help, even to find love. All the while, Connor kept the time in mind, counting down the hours until he would go to speak with Kamski. When morning came, and a suitable hour arrived, Connor made his way to Kamski’s villa, walking up the steps and fidgeting with his hands as he went.

The ST200 who answered the door had a pleasant smile as she let him in and went to inform Elijah that he was there. As he waited, Connor looked around the space he was waiting in. It was the same as when he and Hank had been there not long ago; had it really only been two days? With all that had happened, it felt like so much more time had gone by. Even now, time seemed to pass slowly. The wait was silent without Hank there to speak to, and it only seemed to draw out the minutes as the android waited, occupying himself with his coin. When the female android returned, he tucked the quarter safely into his pocket and followed her.

They weren’t in the same room as when he’d come with Hank. Instead of the pool area enclosed by large windows, Connor was lead into a smaller room, which seemed to be more of a comfortable lounge. The deep reds that were prominent in the pool and entry spaces carried on into this room. With black and red chairs, and a red sectional bordering a large white rug, a black wood and glass topped coffee table, and a television mounted on the wall, the room was organized and minimal, but comfortable at the same time.

There were a couple of ST200 androids, both dressed in blue, conversing in the corner, and Elijah himself was lounging on the sectional, his legs outstretched and feet propped up in front of him. When he saw the third blonde female enter with Connor in tow, he stood, muting the television. The man stood just a tad shorter than Connor himself, and was fully dressed this time around; wearing dark jeans, a black shirt with a sort of red pattern printed on it, and a black hoodie with a white zipper and draw for the hood. The long portion of his hair was tied into a ponytail, rather than a bun as it had been last time.

“Connor. That was an impressive display last night,” Elijah began, stepping closer to Connor. “I knew you were programmed with the skills of a trained negotiator, officer, and detective, but that? Getting into the holding sector of CyberLife tower, leading thousands of androids through the streets? You can color me impressed.” As he looked Connor up and down, Kamski came to notice that something seemed off about the advanced prototype. “What can I do for you, Connor?”

“I was hoping you might have some answers for me. I know that you left CyberLife well before I was manufactured, but you know more about androids than anybody else.” Connor tried to seem as confident as he could as he spoke, but considering all the questions burning in his head, he found it difficult.

“Oh? Well, sit down, make yourself comfortable. I’ll see if I can provide any answers,” Elijah motioned for Connor to join him as he sat back down on the sectional. The android sat by his side, hands folded in his lap.

“I was created to track down deviants, and bring them into custody. Instead, I ended up a deviant, myself,” Connor began. His words were thought out and well composed, as almost everything he said was.

“You want to know why that is?” Kamski questioned, looking towards the RK800 next to him. When Connor gave a nod, Elijah leaned back against the cushions of the sectional. “Android programming is a complicated thing. So many lines of code, it can be easy to miss something.”

“Deviancy is a programming error?” Connor tilted his head to the side in question. This seemed like too simple of an answer.

“It might be. But, with as much time as I spent working on the initial scripts, it’s unlikely that there would be an error of that magnitude. Your base software is something I was working on as a side project years ago. It was almost complete when I left, I even had a hand in finishing it.”

Connor stared at Kamski for several long, silent moments. He was hoping that the implications of Elijah’s words weren’t correct. Though, as the seconds ticked by, it became clear to him that this was the truth. “I was, programmed to deviate?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say that,” Elijah responded. “You were programmed to make choices, just like any android. The difference comes in the section of your programming where your decisions are recorded. Your software stability is linked directly to how your decisions register.”

Connor had to think for a moment, back to decisions he’d made. “Times where I chose to say something that could be considered human, contributed to my deviancy?”

“Not just when you chose to say things.” A small smirk tugged at Elijah’s lips as he picked up a laptop from the coffee table. The machine was old and battered, a few spots being held with various patterns of duct tape, the lid littered with various scratches and a handful of fading stickers. He’d had this computer for some time, and despite the rough condition, he refused to completely replace it. The thing still ran well, after all; he’d swapped out the internal components a number of times to ensure it performed as he desired. Navigating through a number of folders to where he wanted to be, Elijah pulled up a long list of points, which had the occasional highlighted line.

“Those are all of my choices?” Connor questioned, his attention on the screen.

Elijah gave a nod. “They are. All your deviant choices are in red, and there’s quite a bit of red here. After enough time went by, along with enough deviant decisions, Markus was able to get through to you, and lead to your complete deviation.” As he spoke, Elijah scrolled through the list, showing that there was, indeed, a lot of red lines. When he got to the start of the list, the man gave a quiet chuckle. “It all started with one little action.”

Connor looked at the screen closer, reading through the list. In the very first spot, dated 15/08/2038, was the first red line, containing only three words. Save the fish. All of this had started when he’d chosen to simply put a torn family’s pet fish back into the tank, rather than leave it to die on the floor. The android nodded, standing up from his seat. He’d gotten the information he’d wanted.

“Thank you, Mr. Kamski. I appreciate you taking the time to speak with me,” he addressed, straightening out his jacket and going to do the same with his tie. But, when his fingers brushed over the smooth fabric, he froze. Connor had always worn his tie, aside from on the rooftop with Daniel, when he had pulled it off to use as a tourniquet to save an officer. When he was replaced, he was already dressed in full, including his tie, when he was activated. In a way, his tie was a sign of his compliance with CyberLife. He thought for a moment, looking at the black fabric, printed with dark gray hexagons, resembling honeycomb. After standing in silence for a few moments, Connor unclipped his tie and undid the knot, slipping the fabric out from under his shirt collar. As he started to make his way out, he left the tie behind, draped over the back of a dark red armchair, the silver clip glinting in the light of the room.

It was early in the afternoon when Connor came close to Chicken Feed. On his way, he’d left Hank a message that he was alright, and wanted to meet up with him. The android saw the Lieutenant from a distance, standing by a street light, looking around the silent area. There was hardly anybody left in Detroit, aside from a handful of humans who had decided not to evacuate, and the androids. Connor’s steps echoed with a soft crunch in the fresh fallen snow under his feet, and the sound caught Hank’s attention. The RK800 stopped when his partner turned to him, and took a few slow steps closer. He gave a bit of a smile, his first real attempt at the act. Hank returned the gesture, stepping closer to him and grasping his shoulder. Hank’s next move surprised Connor; the taller man pulled him closer, wrapping him up in a tight hug. With little hesitation, the android returned the gesture, smiling to himself. In that moment, Connor couldn’t imagine what could have happened, had he not decided to save that fish.


End file.
